More like feeling entitled to a handout by virtue of his sanctimony. Wow, I just sounded like a Republican there.

Thus far, Jimmy is the Peter Principle personified.

A real golem.

Definitely. Once Manny got him into his shop, you knew death was inevitable by one of fifty means.

Oh that's right, you used to be WilliamBonefarb.

She's only in a couple scenes with him, but the dancing sequence would have meant possibly weeks of rehearsals. Plus, it was probably a pain in the ass to shoot. I can imagine what a hellscape it might have been if your acting and dance partner is high maintenance.

And somehow, no one has yet brought up that gravity-thingee Linc was hanging on while smoking a cigarette upside down. Ain't he a one of a kind, our Linc? And yet, he's not because he's also the quarter-gender removed reincarnation of Agent Stahl. Iconoclastic AND unoriginal — can there be a more off-putting,…

And I've really been admiring Ron Perlman's work this season too. He plays close-to-the-vest exceedingly well. A seasoned, subtle actor who carries the presence necessary  to convey so many things without even moving a muscle. Pernell Roberts had that quality in spades. Clint Eastwood does too, of course.

I assumed the ambulance was for an as-yet-unknown victim. I was thinking Opie…Suicide? Suicide by cop?

So the great mystery remains: Who made the decision to add the offending freeze-frame? I'm having all sorts of trouble wrapping my mind around the idea of a veteran crew member having done the deed. The decision practically constitutes an act of vandalism.

I just wish I could figure out what emotions are making Phil squeeze the bed. Satisfaction? Ambivolence? Arousal?

Geez, how did I miss that parallel?! That makes perfect sense. In fact, Vito's ultimate fate seems to affirm that it's too late for Tony anyway. He is what he is at this point and Melfi finally calls him on it in the second-to-last episode.

In their twisted sense of morality, making a gay joke to a guy is probably seen as a worse offense than robbing your friend's father-in-law blind. The latter situation can probably just be rectified with money and everyone goes on with their lives.

And the thing about the Feech on the bus scene that made it so poignant was that he seemed to know he had been set-up but looked to be mad mostly at himself.

SILVIO (To Phil): How's your daughter?
PHIL: Good. Yours?

And don't forget the black kids in the Volvo who shot up the crack house — and at least one unlucky crackhead — in Season 4. That one was actually arranged by that black politician using gang members.

I do live near Echo Park and I count my blessings for any indication I'm on the right side of those sort of relationships. Same thing when I lived in Chicago and you'd see wiseguys downtown or on Taylor Street. Very easy to imagine yourself taking a moral stand but, in my experiences, if violent criminals are…

He ain't happy about any part of being there. And given Meadow's ultimately pissy reaction I can see why the guy would  stick it out until he's personally threatened(?).

Right, his only crime is being a square peg in a round hole situation. It's a classic when-worlds-collide scenario that often puts Finn on the defensive and probably lends itself to misgivings about the character.

Oh definitely. I think his objective is to navigate the path of least resistance at all times on that job site. And between risking the wrath of his foreman — who ain't gonna say shit anyway! — and risking the wrath, or even hard feelings, of the wiseguys…well, which way would you go? I'd LIKE to think I would just…